US FloorSource

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Hi there – you’re in the right place, but what used to be here on the US FloorSource website is no longer available (sorry!). Don’t worry though, we can still point you to other similar websites that you can quickly check out before you go, if you’d like.

Alternatives

Fairfield, Iowa-based Green Building Supply want to be your one-stop home center and shop for natural and eco-friendly home building products, from building materials, flooring, furniture, fixtures, cleaning materials, and more. Additionally, you can also browse through their learning center to know more about the many ways you can make your home greener and more energy-efficient.

Missouri-based Tools4Flooring offers a variety of stair and flooring solutions, tools & equipment, moldings and trim, and more. They offer free shipping within the continental United States, and they also ship worldwide. Check out the Monthly Specials for good deals and discounted items, and go through their Installation Guides to brush up on the methods you need to know.

The International Flooring Center helps people build both commercial and residential structures and projects, and they’ve been serving their customers from both in and out of state since 1986. They provide quality products, materials, tools, and equipment, including the harder-to-find ones.

Founded in 1977 in Fort Worth Texas, Professional Flooring Supply has been providing quality service and flooring supplies, tools, materials, and more through 15 stores in 7 states, closing in on half a century of service to installers and both residential and commercial projects.

Located in SE Florida, Patriot Flooring Supplies has been supporting and providing installers and industry professionals with quality flooring supplies, materials, tools, equipment, and services for over 15 years. They pride themselves on getting you everything you need, when you need it, at fair prices.

The Future of Flooring – Free Energy?

Special Feature

Good-looking floors are a must for any discerning home designer – professional or otherwise – since whenever any one of us enters a room, our gaze starts from the bottom and takes us up and around – it never really goes any other way. So a well-designed room, apartment, or house needs a floor that’s made out of high-quality and aesthetically pleasing material. It ties everything together, after all.

But can floors do more than just look pretty, at best?

Well, we’re getting to a really interesting point in time when it comes to that: floors can now generate power any day, all day, regardless of the climate or time of day (unlike solar or wind-powered solutions). In recent years, several enterprising individuals and companies have developed and rolled out technology that harnesses human kinetic energy to power lights, devices, and even entire facilities all from people just walking around where they are. Let’s take a quick look at some of these and the work they’re doing:

Energy Floors

Netherlands-based Energy Floors gained attention in 2008 when they installed their sustainable dance floor in Rotterdam’s Club WATT, which resulted in 30% energy savings and cut the club’s carbon emissions in half. Since then, they’ve continued to develop and refine their products, which in turn have led to educational, governmental, and private institutions looking to work with them on a variety of projects, which include working with Dutch NS Trains to harness energy from passengers in train stations, powering WiFi hotspots in areas in and around soccer fields, and the Glasgow Science Centre. Check out CNBC’s short video feature on the company below:

Pavegen

Founded in 2009 by Laurence Kemball-Cook, London-based Pavegen has since installed their floor-based energy harvesting solutions in over 30 countries worldwide (and growing). They have installations in places such as schools, shopping malls, a stretch of the Paris marathon, and even the White House has expressed interest in the technology, all of which are being used to power everything from devices to parts of existing area infrastructure. Pavegen has been quite active in raising awareness of the importance of sustainable energy, in addition to continuing to improve and refine their own solutions. But let’s let Mr. Kemball-Cook speak for himself and his company – here’s his TED Talk from 2012:

… and more

The above are just two of the many companies who are pushing the envelope when it comes to this specific slice of the sustainable energy pie. Several years in, companies like Italy’s Veranu, Japan’s Soundpower Corporation, and the Netherland’s Enviu (among others, still) have all begun working with a growing number of companies and institutions who see both the environmental and economic sense in investing in and promoting sustainable energy solutions – particularly the near-unlimited potential that harvesting human-generated clean energy provides.

Who knows – we may even find ourselves living in homes with these rather clever improvements in them in the near future.

TIP: Want to make your home more energy-efficient? Live in the UK? Get free tips, guides, and quotes from Honest John to help you make smart home improvement decistions.

About the Author: Andre Salvatierra is a freelance writer who loves culture, technology, well-designed things, and great experiences. You can find him on Medium and Twitter.